Bevel-string-cutting machine.



W/ TNE SSE S PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

J. P. DONOVAN. BEVEL STRING CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 14, 1907.

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BEVEL STRING CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 14, 1901.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. DONOVAN, OF WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATESWHIP COMPANY, OF WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BEVEL-STRING-C'UTTTNG MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed May 14,1907. Serial No- 373, 599. i

To all whom it may concern; I

Be it known that I, Jenn P. Donovan, a citizen of the United States of Ameriea, residing at Westfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Bevel-String-CuttingMachine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting rawhideinto strips called strings as a preliminary step in the manufacture ofrawhide whip centers or cores, such strings being subsequently twistedand otherwise prepared to fit them for the purpose for which they areintended; and said invention comprises a properlypositioned knife andmeans to hold and support the hide during the cutting process, togetherwith such auxiliary parts or members as may be required to render themachine efficient, all as hereinafter set forth.

Different parts of the same hide usually vary more or less in thicknessin consequence of which the strings cut therefrom vary in size, and itbecomes necessary to grind off the surplus portions of the cores madefrom the larger strings in order to make these cores of the same size asthese into the formation of which the smaller strings enter, thusentailing a loss in time, labor, and material; and the primary object ofmy invention is to avoid this loss and obtain strings which can be madeinto cores which are substantially uniform in size with those formed outof the strings taken from the thinner parts of the hide. This result isobtained by providing a machine to bevel two opposite sides of thestring when cut. Strings thus beveled can be twisted to better advantageand with closer or tighter convolutions out of less stock than when cutin substantially rectangular shape in cross-section in the manner thatstrings from the thinner portions of the hide are cut and as those fromthe thicker portions have been cut heretofore, so that there is a savingboth in the labor of grinding and in the matter of waste.

A. further object of my invention is to provide a machine whichmaterially simplifies the operation of cutting up hides, and in thepractical use of which no great amount of skill or experience isnecessary as is the case when the work of cutting hides into strings isdone entirely by hand. The machine can be employed for cutting up wholehides, if desired, instead of exclusively for the thick parts of thesame.

My machine is simple both in construction and operation, and can beadjusted to out different sizes or widths of strings. During the cuttingoperationthe bevel of the strings can be varied so that the cores madetherefrom will be tapered as much or as little as is re tuircd.

Although particularly designed to cut strings for whip cores. I do notwish to limit my invention to this field of operation, since it may beemployed to cut strings which are adapted and intended to be utilized inother lines of manufacture I attain the objects and secure theadvantages above pointed out by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the machinewith a hide in position ready to have a string cut therefrom, portionsof the table and other members being broken out; Fig. 2, a frontelevation of the machine as it appears in the first view; Fig. 3, anenlarged plan view of the knife holder and adjacent parts, one of suchparts, the weighted arm which prevents the hide from slipping up off ofthe knife during the cutting operation, being shown in its elevatedposition, and, Fig. 4, an en larged cross-section through that part ofthe table which directly supports the knife holder, and through the hidecarrier and the guides therefor, looking toward the right, said holderbeing in partial section longitudinally.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The machine consists generally of a suitable table which maybe supportedon legs or in any other convenient manner, a knife holder on the tableabout midway between the ends thereof, a knife in said holder, a carrierfor the hide arranged to reciprocate on said table in front of saidholder, means co-acting with said carrier to secure the hide in placewhile being out and to assist in operating the carrier, and supportingmeans which are preferably revoluble for that portion of the hide whichextends beyond the carrier at the back and is adjacent to the knife.These together with other parts which will be subsequently mentioned goto make up a practical machine which is efficient and satisfactory,nevertheless, I do not desire to be restricted to the constructionherein shown and described, inasmuch as many changes of minor importancemay be made without departing from the nature of my invention or goingoutside of the scope of my claims;

Referring to the drawings it will be observed that a table 10, withoutits legs or other supporting members, is shown, such table in thepresent case being made of two layers of boards. Along the front edge ofthis table is a vertical guide 11, and rising from said table behindsaid guide is another guide 12 which may be shorter than the first. Theguide 11 is held in place against the front edge of the table by screws,and the guide 12 is held in place by angle-irons 13 screwed thereto andto the top of the table, The two guides are of the same height and sospaced apart and positioned as to form with that part of the table whichis between a runway 14 for a hide carrier 15 which is adapted to bereciprocated practically the whole length of the table, said runway inreality extending beyond both ends of the guide 12 as herein shown.

nearly to the guide ]2 to form an arm 35.

The carrier 15 is mounted on anti-friction rolls 16 set into the table10 at intervals along the runway 1. 1. A stop block 17 for the carrier15 is provided on the table at the right-hand end of the runway. On thetable back of the block 17 is a sheave l8 and above this is a secondsheave is suspended from the ceiling. A cord 19, having a weight 20 atits free end, passes over the upper sheave and under the lower sheave toa pin 21 projecting upward from a lug 22 extending rearward from thecarrier 15 near the right-hand back corner of said carrier.

At the opposite or left-hand end of the table 10 and depending from theceiling above are two more sheaves 18 for a weighted cord 23 arranged inthe same manner as is the cord 19 except that the end of said cord 23which emerges from beneath the lower sheave has a hook 24 attachedthereto. A stop piece 25 is placed on the cord 22 between the hook 24;and the adjacent sheave 18 to prevent the weight 20 at the other end ofsaid cord from pulling said hook beneath said sheave when the hook isinactive, so that the latter is thus always retained in position readyfor use.

The two weights 20 serve to keep the hide stretched or under tensionwhile being cut into strings, as presently will be made to appear.

Behind the runway 14 and parallel therewith. starting from thetransverse center of the table 10 or near such center and extending tothe left some little distance, is a bar 26 which is securely fastened tothe top of said table. A series of idler rollers 27 is located betweenthe bar 26 and the runway 14, such rollers being mounted on studsprojecting forward from the front edge of said bar, in the usual andwell-known manner. The office of the rollers 27 is to facilitate themovement of the hide on and with the carrier and to prevent such hide,which is cut while wet, from adhering to the table, as it would beliable to do in the absence of something of this kind, and thusinterfering with the proper traction and cutting of the same. Theserollers will be referred to again when the description of the completeoperation of the machine is reached.

1 will next describe the knife holder which is situated approximately atthe transverse center of the table 10 adjacent to the right hand end ofthe bar 26 and behind the runway 14. Such holder comprises an angle-iron28, a wedge block 29, means for fastening said block in position and forreleasing the same, (which means in the present instance consists of twoscrews 30 and a third screw 3] and a bed-plate 32 for an adjustablestring guide 33. The back terminal of the angleiron 28 is let into arecess in the table, and a flat plate 34 is fastened to the top of saidtable and to the top of such terminal, over which latter said plateextends, to hold said angle-iron in place. The angle-iron extends upwardat the front end of the aforesaid back terminal, and then projectsforward the arm 35 and the carrier 15 are on approximately the samelevel. The arm 35 has a vertical slot 36 therein the front end 37 ofwhich is beveled from above downward and forward at substantially theangle which it is desired to give the beveled sides of the strings. Theslot 36 is for a knife 38, a stiffener 39 and the wedge block 29. Thefront end of the block 29 is beveled at the same'angle as that of theend 37 of the slot 36.

The screws 30 are tapped into the sides of the arm 35 and pass throughsuch sides into engagement with the sides of the block 29, anindentation 10 being provided in each side of the block to receive theinner end of the corresponding screw; thus such block is held in theslot 36 and permitted to be forced forward therein by the screw 31 whichis tapped into the rear end of said arm and passes through such end intoengagement with the rear end of said block. The wedge block can beremoved from the slot at any time by loosening the screws 30sufficiently to disengage the block. When the block is forced forward bythe screw 31 it binds the knife 38 and the stiffener 539 between itselfand the end 37 of the slot and securely holds said knife in position todo its work. Upon loosening the screw 31 the block can be pushed back torelease the knife and stiffener which latter two can then be re- .novedfrom the slot 36 either from above or below, but preferably from below.A slot 41 is provided in the table 10 below the arm 35 to give access tothe knife and block from below. When properly positioned the knifeshould be so arranged that it projects above the top of the arm 35 farenough to cut through the thickest hidewith which it will be used.

The knives employed in my machine are generally very thin, for whichreason I provide the stiffener 39 which is simply a flat plate or bladeadapted to lie against the front side of the knife between it and theadjacent end of the slot 36 and to support that part of the knife whichextends above the arm 35 so that it will not bend or break when underthe strain produced during the cutting operation. The knife is arrangedwith its cutting edge at the left, and the stiffener is preferablyprovided with a flange 42 on the righthand edge against which the dulledge of said knife is received, thus affording additional support to theknife. If a knife is employed which is of such thickness or stiffnessthat it can withstand the strain put upon it during the cuttingoperation without yielding, the stiffener may be dispensed with.

The string guide 33 is attached to the bed-plate 32 by means of screws43 which pass through slots 44 in said guide into threaded engagementwith said plate and the guide has at its front end an upwardly extending and rearwardly inclined guide piece 45, the angle of such. piecebeing the same as that of the knife 38. The space between the knife andthe guide piece 45 determines the width of the strings, and such widthmay be increased or decreased by loosening the screws 43 and moving theguide farther away from or nearer to said knife, after which said screwsare tightened again, consequently the guide serves also in the capacityof a gage.

At the left of the knife holder is an arm 46 having one end pivoted at47 to a lug 48, rising from one side of the rear terminal of theangle-iron 2S, and provided The tops of at the other end with a weight49. An car 50, Fig. 1, extending from the back edge and to the right ofthe lug 18, lies in the path of the arm 46, when said arm is raised orturned up into its perpendicular and inoperative position, and receivesthe same just after it passes the center of gravity to hold it uprightuntil the time comes to swing the arm down into an approximatelyhorizontal position once more across the hide being cut. The arm isnotched at 5l=to allow it to bear on the hide in front of the knifewhere its services are required to prevent the hide from working up onthe knife and so off of the same during the cutting operation.

The operation of the machine as a whole is as follows: A hide, or themiddle section of a hide in this case, represented at 52 in Figs. 1 and2, is fastened in place by impaliug the butt end of such section on thepin 21 and by fastening the hook 24 through the opposite end of saidsection, the carrier 15, which was in contact with the stop block 17,having been moved along the runway 14 to the left for the purpose.Although the righthand weight 20 is now elevated it stillcounterbalances the left-hand weight and so the hide is under tensionfrom the weights and it remains under such tension, as the carrier isreciprocated and said weights alternately rise and fall, throughout theentire operation. The weights stretch the hide, as already stated, butone counteracts the other so far as the direct influence on the carrierand hide is concerned, hence the carrier and hide can be actuated aseasily in one direction as in the other. After the hide 52 has beensocured on the machine as explained, a number of short slits 53, Fig. 1,are cut with a knife by hand in the butt end of said hide parallel withthe back edge of the same a little way from the right-hand end. Theslits 53 are so spaced apart as to correspond with the proper widths ofthe strings. Now that portion of the hide which is adjacent to the knife38 is lifted over said knife and brought down, with the latter in therearmost slit 53. N ext the weighted arm 46 is turned down onto the hidefor the reason given above. And finally the carrier and the hide areactuated to the rightuntil said hide clears the knife, thus cutting thefirst string as said hide is drawn beneath the arm 46 against the sharpedge of the knife 38. The first and last strings will each have only onebeveled side, but they may be utilized for smaller cores. The carrier 15and the hide 52 are next moved to the left again, after elevating thearm 46, the hide is manipulated to get the knife 38 into what was beforethe second slit 53, but which became the first slit upon the formationof the first string, said arm is lowered, and said carrier and hide area second time actuated to the right as far as is necessary to form thesecond string. This string is beveled on both sides, the back sidehaving been beveled by the previous operation and the front side by theoperation just completed, and said string is of the proper width whichcorresponds with the amount of separation between the knife 38 and theguide piece 45. It should be noted in passing that the distance betweeneach pair of slits 53 is about equal to the space between the aforesaidknife and guide or gage piece. These several acts are repeated until theentire section of hide 52 has been cut into strings, it being necessaryfrom time to time, however, to make additional slits 53 and to attachthe hide new points to the carrier pin and the hook, as it is cut awayfrom the back. If the newly formed strings as they accumulate get in theway of the operator before the hide has been all cut up, that part ofthe butt to which they are still attached can be severed and removed,and in any event these butt connections must all be severed finally inorder to complete the string-forming operation. By grasping a stringduring the cutting process, after it is of sufficient length for thepurpose, and drawing it upward and rearward more or less the amount ofbevel will be increased with the rcsult, provided the action be doneproperly, that corcs subsequently manufactured from such strings will belarger at the butt than at the other cndin other words, they will taper.This is due to the fact that the increased bevel produces closerconvolutions in the string when the latter is twisted.

It will be seen that the back part of the hide on the machine, in whichis included the part out each time, projects behind the carrier 15, andit is to support such overhanging portion without offering an excessiveamount of resistance thereto that the rollers 27 are provided, saidportion of the hide riding on said rollers as each string is cut. As thehide is moved with the carrier to the right the cord 23 is drawn by thehook in the same direction from beneath the sheave 18 at this end of thetable, the Weight 20 at the other end of such cord rising meanwhile; andthis cord affords a much more convenient and better holding means forthe hide at the end which receives said hook than would be afforded bysome rigid means, as by fastening this end of the hide to the carrierfor example.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, withreciprocating supporting means for :1 hide and securing means for theends of suchhide, of a knife and means to support the same at an inclinebehind said supporting means for the hide.

2. The combination, in abevel-string cutting machine, with a knife,means to support such knife at an incline, and a string guide having aninclined part adjacent to but out of contact with said knife, ofreciprocating supporting and securing means for :1 hide in operativerelation to the knife and guide.

3. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a knife,means to support such knife at an incline, and an adjustable stringguide or gage having an inclined part adjacent to but out of contactwith said knife, of reciprocz'lting supporting and securing meansfor ahide in operative relation to the knife and guide or gage.

at. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a suitabletable, a knife holder on such table, such holder having a slot thereinbeveled at one end, a knife in such slot against the beveled endthereof, and means to retain such knife in place, of reciprocatingsupporting and securing means for :1 hide on said table in operativerelation to said knife.

The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a suitabletable, a knife holder on such table, such holder having a slot thereinbeveled at one end, a knife in such slot against the beveled endthereof, means to retain such knife in place, and a string guide on saidholder behind said knife, of reciprocating supporting and securing meansfor a hide on said table in operative relation to the knife.

6.. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a suitabletable, a knife holder on such table, such holder having a slot thereinbeveled at one end, a knife in such slot against the beveled endthereof, means to retain such knife in place, and a string guide or gageadjustably mounted on said holder behind said knife, of reciprocatingsupporting and securing means for a hide on said table in operativerelation to the knife and guide or gage.

T. The combination, in a bevelstring cutting machine, with a suitabletable, a knife holder on such table, such holder having a slot thereinbeveled at one end, a knife in such slot against the beveled endthereof, a wedge block also in such slot, and means to force said blockagainst said knife, of reciprocating supporting and securing means for:1 hide on said table in operative relation to the knife.

8. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a suitabletable, a knife holder on such table, such holder having a slot thereinbeveled at; one end, a knife and a stiffener therefor in such slotagainst the beveled end thereof, and means to retain such knife andstilfener in place, of reciprocating supporting and securing means for ahide on said table in operative relation to the knife.

5). The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, of a knife andmeans to support the same at an incline, reciprocating supporting andsecuring means for :1 hide in operative relation to said knife, andmeans to hold down the hide while being cut in contact with the knife.

10. The combination, in a bevebstring cutting machine, of a knife andmeans to support the same at an incline, reciprocating supporting andsecuring means for a hide in operative relation to such knife, and apivotally mounted weighted arm adapted to be turned down across the hideadjacent to said knife.

11. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a suitabletable provided with a runway, :1 hide carrier arranged to reciprocateunder tension in such runway, and a hook also under tension arranged tocoact with said carrier, of a knife behind said runway in operativeposition relative to the cart 1'.

12. The combination, in a bevel'string cutting machine, with a suitabletable provided with a runway, a carrier arranged to reciprocate undertension in such runway and adapted to have one end of 2. hide attachedthereto, means of attachment for the other end of said hide, andsupporting means for the hide behind said runway, of a knife located inline with said supporting means behind the runway in operative positionrelative to the carrier.

13. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine, with a suitabletable provided with a runway, a carrier arranged to reciprocate undertension in such runway and adapted to have one end of a hide attachedthereto, means of attachment for the other end of such hide, and aseries of supporting rollers for the hide behind said runway, of a knifelocated in line with said rollers behind the runway in operativeposition relative to the carrier.

14. The combination, in a bevelstring cutting machine, with a suitabletable provided with a runway, a carrier arranged to reciprocate in suchrunway and adapted to have one end of a hide attached thereto, suitablesheaves, a cord fastened at one end to said carrier and having a weightat the other end supported by said sheaves, and means of attachment forthe other end of said hide, of a knife fastened in place behind saidrunway in operative position relative to the carrier.

15. The combination, in a bevel-string cutting machine,

with a suitable table provided with a runway, a carrier arranged toreciprocate in such runway and adapted to have one end of a hideattached thereto, suitable sheaves, a cord fastened at one end to saidcarrier and having a weight at the other end supportedby said sheaves,and means of attachment for the other end of said hide, such meanscomprising a cord having a hook at one end a weight at the other endtogether with suitable sheaves to support such cord, of a knife fastenedin place behind said runway inoperative position relative to thecarrier.

Y JOHN P. DONOVAN.

Witnesses:

ALI RED C. FAIRBANKS, F. A. CUTTER.

